Fatimah (left) oversees the vaccination programme at the Kuching Waterfront. — Photos by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Aug 23): The Homeless Vaccination Operation Programme has identified and registered 121 individuals in Sarawak as of Aug 20, said Welfare, Community Well-being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
She said 87 individuals or 72 per cent have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while four individuals (3.4 per cent) have completed two doses.
The homeless individuals were identified in Kuching (29), Sibu (28), Miri (24), Bintulu (18), Kapit (9), Sarikei (8), Serian (3), and one each in Betong and Samarahan.
For Kuching, 17 out of the 29 individuals have received their first dose of the vaccine, she said during an operation to vaccinate the homeless at the Kuching Waterfront last night.
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“The modus operandi for tonight (Sunday) is a mobile operation as the programme’s integrated team will conduct the vaccination on-site at locations where the homeless individuals are,” she said.
Fatimah said among the challenges faced when conducting the operation was the absence of identification cards and medical records to assess the vaccination status of the homeless.
She said there is a possibility that those who received their first dose of vaccine might not be available for the second jab.
As single-dose vaccines such as CanSino are currently unavailable, she said the operation uses two-dose vaccines such as Sinovac.
The vaccination programme for the homeless is an integrated operation by the ministry in collaboration with the Kuching Resident’s office, Welfare Department, Health Department, police, Immigration Department, Fire and Rescue Department, National Registration Department, local authorities, and the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK).
After Kuching Division, the programme would move on to Bintulu Division on Sept 3-5.